Part 1: Should Humans Fly in Space?

Aug 28-Sept 11 Does it make sense to spend billions on space exploration when the resources could be better spent on Earth? What are the trade-offs between social and scientific goals? Should we instead invest in infrastructure, education and poverty programs? Can basic economic theory shed any light on these questions? Readings:  Why Space?   Can the Free Market Save the Space Program?   When is the Space Age Coming for the Rest of US, Chpt 1 of Bizony  Runners, Riders Ways and Means, Chpt 3 of Bizony How Much is An Astronaut's Life Worth?   Was the Race to the Moon Real?   NASA's Greatest Hits 

More Hits

On the Threshold of the Universe Five Essential Things to Do in Space  In class films: Sputnik Declassified  on Youtube Transcript To the Moon  

Part 2: Must Humans Fly in Space?

Sept 13-27 Oct Are the limits to growth on Earth so severe that mankind has no alternative but to colonize space? Will we run out of petroleum resources for example and be forced to travel to Titan (a moon of Saturn) which has seas of hydrocarbons in order to survive? Will we be better off living in space colonies? Readings: O'Neill Chpt 1-10 Islands in the Sky, Chpt 5 of Bizony  NASA Budget  

Part 3: Can Humans Fly in Space?

Oct 2-16. Are launch cost simply too high to make space colonies a viable alternative? Is it a practical option to become a spacefaring society? Or, is the gravity well of Earth simply too strong and deep to make space travel possible? Also, space travel subjects humans to risks they do not usually encounter on Earth. Are these risks worth it? As both the Challenger and Columbia disasters have shown, the human costs of space travel can be extraordinary. Readings: That's Why They Call it Rocket Science, Chpt 2 of Bizony.  The Age of Dinosaurs  Critique of O'Neill  Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report  Midterm exam: 18 October in class covering all readings and class material to date.

Part 4: Space Exploration and Public Policy

Oct 23-Nov 8. The US space agency was born in 1958 in the crossfire of debates over public and private roles in space and the Cold War with the USSR. This was the golden age of industrial policy. NASA has evolved since and may now become largely irrelevant. Should the US have an industrial policy that supports space exploration? Should international cooperation be pursued? What then is the role of the private sector? How can can entrepreneurs make money in space? Readings:   Papers due 15 Nov midnight No Bucks no Buck Rodgers, Chp 4 of Bizony.  Making Money in Space  Doing Business on Orbit The Way to Go in Space NASA's Not So Shining Moments July 1969

Part 5: Moon, Mars and Beyond

Nov 13-Dec 4. We will return to the Moon and eventually visit Mars. There are serious plans in the making for this endeavor but it will be costly. Will the US space agency support it or is the sacrifice in terms of cheaper robotic missions not worth the cost? Readings:   The Moon is a Harsh Mistress , Chpt 6 of Bizony.  The Red Planet--and Beyond, Chpt 7 of Bizony.    Why Go to Mars 21st Century Space Craft   New Dawn for Electric Rockets


Final Papers due Thurs 6 Dec midnight

Final Exam. Thus Dec 13 9-10:15 AM     (UVM Final exam schedule-Fall 2012)